Armchair with table attachment



Patented ug. 8, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ARMCHAIR WITH TABLEATTACHMENT Elsie M. Runkles, Detroit, Mich.

Application August 20, 1949, Serial No. 111,395

This invention relates to arm chairs having table or desk attachments,and may be considered an improvement on the disclosures of Patents1,803,947 and 1,891,691, issued respectively May 5, 1931 and December20, 1932.

An object of the invention is to provide in an improved manner forhinging one end of a table member to a support and for adapting suchmember and support .to be slid into and from a compartment provided inone of the arm-form'- ing side members of a chair, whereby said membermay be swung after withdrawal from the compartment from its verticalposition admitting it to and from the compartment to a horizontalposition of use.

Another object is to provide an improved support normally housed in acompartment formed in the other of said arm-forming side members andslidable forwardly to serve as a seat for the free end portion of thetable member. Another object is to form the last-mentioned support withone or more recesses for articles, and to render such recessesaccessible by fore wardly actuating such support to its seating positionfor the table member.

Another object is to adapt the table member to be swung laterally whilemaintaining its horizontal position, so that an occupant of the chairmay leave the same without necessity of iirst unloading the tablemember.

Another object is to horizontally hinge one end portion of a tablemember to a forward 4exL tension from a support retained within acompartment formed in one of the arm-forming side members of a chair,and to provide a support for the other end portion of the table memberon the other of said side members, and to ver:- tically pivot saidextension on the corresponding support so that the table member, asdisposed `for use, may be swung laterally in unison with said extensionto allow ingress and egress to and from the chair, and to equip theextension with an auxiliary support for the table member, safe'-guarding the latter from collapse when so swung.

These and various other objects are attainedl by the constructionhereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings,wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my improved chair, showing its tablemember and the two'l.

supports for such member withdrawn from their .compartments preliminaryto` upward swinging of said member to its use position.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the chair, showing in full lines the normaluse position of the table 8 Claims. (Cl. 155-188) member and in dashlines a laterally swung use position.

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view, corresponding to the full lineshowing of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of the table member andone of its supports,

` taken on the line 4--4 of Fig. 3.

l,form arms and to also comprise portions of the chair base. The members2 and 3 are respectively formed with similar compartments 5 and 6opening in the front faces of such members and extending to the top,bottom, and rear portions of said members. Slidably fitted in the`compartment B and normally occupying its rear portion is a tablesupport 1. The upper portion of such `support carries a forwardlyprojecting extension 8 normally occupying the front portion of thecompartment 6, said extension being pivoted on the support by a verticalpin 9, being thus adapted to swing laterally when in the forwardlyprojected position illustrated in Fig. 1. A table member IIJ has one ofits end portions lapping the extension 9 and hinged thereto along theupper edge of the extension, as indicated at II, such member beingnormally housed within the compartment 6 together with the support 'Iand said extension. The hinge Il adapts the table member to assumeeither the vertical position of Fig. l or the horizontal use position,best shown in Fig. 2. In such use position the table member extendsbetween the chair arms,

slightly below their top faces, the free end of such member being thenusually seated on a support I2, carried by the side member 2. Suchsupport is normally housed within the compartment 5 and is slidforwardly, as per Fig. 1, when required to seat the table member. It isto be noted that the compartment 6 must have substantially the maximumvertical extent afforded by the corresponding Side member 3 in orderthat the table member may be accommodated in such compartment when notin use, while having ade- `quate length to allow the described seatingon the support I2. In the outer face of the support I2 are formed tworecesses or pockets I3 '(Figs. 3 and 4) to which access is had in thewithdrawn position of said support. These recesses serve to receivewriting or sewing materials, or other articles suited to occasionallyoccupy the table member.

It is desirable to afford ingress and egress to and from the chairwithout necessity of lowering the table member from its use position,particularly since such lowering would entail preliminary removal of anyarticles resting on such member. Pivotal mounting of the extension 8 onthe pin 9 in conjunction with an auxiliary support I4 Von said extension`permits Aswinging of the table member as exemplified in dash lines inFig. 2. Said auxiliary support is formed by an arm vertically piVoted atI5 on said extension and occupying the vertical plane of .therextensionwhen not in use. Said arm is positioned for use by swinging it on thepivot I5 to diverge nfrom said extension, whereby saidarm functions as abrace, affording support to the rtable member at a point materiallyspaced from the hinge '.IZI. The arm I4 may be formed of heavy wire withan end portion .upwardly inserted in .the -extension to form the pivotI5, the other end -portion being lformed with a return bend .I6 asaseatfor the table member. ,A wear plate Il secured to the under faceofvthetablememberbasa shoulder Isengageable by the arm lli to establishthe use 'position of such arm.

. .A pair of plates I9 secured to vthe front faces of .the .chair armssufficiently overlap 'the upper ends of the compartments 5 and 6 to.establish f forward limiting positions for the supports I2 .and 7.Thesupport I2 has a shoulder 20 at its top to engage thecorrespondingplate I9 and vthe upper end of .the front face ofthesupport'fl exercises a like function. Finishing strips 2| and ,22,jofany suitable material are 'securedrespec- .tively to the front faces ofthe support I2 -and table member, the latter being materially reinforcedby .its strip 22. When the 'table `attachment .is housed in the sidemembers 2 and '3, said strips seat against said members, 'covering thecompartments 5 and.

The described attachment vadds 'utility to any `arm chair and iskparticularly a -convenience to invalids, convalescents, or others,4whose ycondition requires considerable occupancy of such a chair.

What 1 claim is:

l. In combination, a Achair having 'arm-forming side members and aforwardly opening compartment'in lone such member, a table membersup-'port normally occupying the rear portion of said compartment, a forwardextension I'from' said v`"support, `normally occupying the front portionof1said-compartment, said-support and extension being forwardly slidablein unison Yto dispose fthe extension in `an exterior relation to 'the'compartment, 'a table member having lan `end `portion substantiallyparallel and adjacentto'saidrextension, means Vhinging said'end`portionfto :the Y.ex-

Stension, establishing a substantially .horizontal fsupport normallyoccupying the rear portion .of

one of said compartments, 4a forward extension from `said support,.normally occupying `the front portion of said compartment, said'support and extension being forwardly slidable in :unison =to 'disposethe extension 'in an :exterior .relation to the compartment, a tablemember having an end portion substantially parallel and adjacent to saidextension, means hinging said end portion to the extension, establishinga substantially horizontal pivotal axis for the table member, and asupport for the other end 'portion of the table member, normallyoccupying the other of said compartments and forwardly slidable toestablish a seat for the last-mentioned end portion.

V3. In the combination -set forth Yin claim 2, a pair of cover membersfor said Acompartments secured respectively to thefront margin of thetable member and to the front end of the lastimentioned support, andnormally engaging the front faces of said side members.

4. "The combination set forth in claim 2, the

,last-.mentioned support having a recess in its outer face exposed by aforward sliding of such supportfand receiving articles to be used on thetable member.

,5. Jn :the combination set forth lin Iclaim 2, coacting stops ontheLside members of the .chair 'andfon Ythe table member supports,`limiting .forwardfsliding of suchsupports.

6. In-combination, `a `chair having arm-forming side :members and aforwardlyopening compartment in rone such member, a .table membersupport normally occupying the rear Yportionlof saidcOmpartment, laforward extension from the front portion of said support,normallyoccupying the `front portion -of said compartment, meanspivotingrsaid ,extension on said support affording the extensionswinging travel .about a substanvtially vertical axis, said support andAextensionibeing forwardly slidable in unison to dispose --the.extension in an exteriorrelation `to the V,compartment, a .table member.having an end .portion isubstantially parallel `and adjacent to saidextension, means Ahinging said end .portion to ,the extension, vwherebythe table member may be swung from a substantially vertical position ofregistration vwith said compartment to ua substantially horizontalposition of use, means icarried by the other of said side `membersfor.sup porting the otherend .portion of the table member in itsposition of use, Aand an auxiliarysup- Aport for the table .membercarried `by said .extensionand adjustable toengage the table member inspacedfrelation tosaid hinging means to maintain the horizontal useposition of the table .member when. swung in Y.unison Vwith said 4exten-.sion about said vertical axis. l'

F1. The combination set .forth in claim 6, .saidauxiliarysupport.comprising an arm pivoted Aon saidextension to `swingabout a vertical axisfrom a position substantially in the vertical plane.of

the extension to a divergent relation to .such plane. Y

8. VThe.combination set forth in claim v6,.,said

Aauxiliary support comprising an .arm .having an end -.portion upwardly.inserted and pivotal inthe extension, said arm .being upwardlybent-tofpro- The following'references are of 'fiile -of this patent:

UNITED STATES PA I IF N I S Name Date Runkles Dec...20, '1932 record.fin @the Number

